Waitijng game

Finally nice weather sort of. That means no real threat of rain so far this morning.There is blue up there she says smiling. Well I should be I might be able to get off on my holidays a few days sooner now that the good weather is here.

So the next few days will be hurray up and wait days but to get a flight all the way to Victoria is worth it. That way I will only have to take a ferry to Vancouver by bus. It is always a long day trip depending who the pilot is. I know this one he is from the Victoria base and they start their day much earlier for sure. That is great as it means I might not get in at midnight or have to overnight. Could but not likely as if they are diverted to do a search, or tasked to do other things on the way down, The seareach is not always but the tasking could be possible. This crew are great guys we had them there for a few days as they where waiting for a crew up on the mountain top across from us working on the repeater up there. And there where days that they just came and waited all day and could not get up. That day we had 31mm of rain (winter amounts).

Well I guess I should get myself ready if they decide to do their usual morning 8 am leaving. Such a difference from our noon air as we so fondly? call them. Later from the Bluff

Memories

Well we had full crew here yesterday waiting for the sky to open up and show blue.
But all it opened up and gave us was more of the same rain, and more rain. They are hoping to get up to the mountain top today if all goes well. There has been very small patches of blue, they open up and tease us like humm lets see like someone who has allergies to chocolate and everyone around is eating it.

This has been such and odd summer not like we do not say that every summer,yet this one is so much more like early fall. I am hoping to maybe leave early August now as there is a chopper heading south. It will make friends and family happy that I am there earlier. One little person for sure will be pleased that her Nana is there sooner than later. I remember our trips from Canada to the States to see our Nana there and how happy we where to see her. Back then the smell of home baking was in the house and there she was looking every bit as happy to see us all as we where to see her. Her house was where we got to watch Miss Francis's Ding Dong School, and other such shows that where not in Canada at the time. She had a the bottom drawer in her side hutch full of play things for all us. Made it great to be able to just open it and there where wonderful surprises.

One of the things I used to love was this metal lid at the bottom of the stairs which you stepped on and there was a small pail. For years I could not remember what it was just the doing of it. Then I was visiting our Aunt and she had one at the bottom of her stairs I was so excited to see it. That was when I learned that it was the garbage pail. Seems they used to come and pick up daily they would come round the back and take it out to the truck. Strange things we remember from our childhood. I guess it is partly from living out here (or maybe just old age) either it is nice memories of visiting her each yr.

There was a whale out front here last evening as a ferry went by. Nice for the passengers and us as well. Dolphins around as well so this would mean that the salmon are coming. Well off I go in case the chopper decides to come again today so later from the Bluff.

Choppers

Choppers for the last three days and not a one with goodies but then the grocerys are coming soon so that will be day. Just would have been nice to have had it before I head out on holidays and get stuff packed but oh well such is life on the lights.

We where to get two more today but with the weather three guesses and the first two do not count. Why we might not see one. It has been a bad summer one of 1/2 days nice weather and then ugly.

Well not much else going on here so will let you go and I will chat later bye from the the Bluff

What a different a day makes

Looking like a break in the showers. But from the weather man(person) this is the only one for days to come. So we will take it no matter how hot and enjoy.

We could get a chopper today they where trying to come yesterday but with the fog, showers no luck. If it comes we might get lucky and I will get the few things I have ordered for my trip. Our grand daughter is counting the days until I come and every time I tell her she tells that is sooooo long. When she gets older it could be just the other way to fast until I get there. She is hoping we will go see the bluga whales. I think that if we move we might see about a whale trip for her.

My brother(older age only) went to see his daugther who is fire spotter in Alberta
and it seems that her life is similar to ours. Only hers is calling in fires which I understand she has done three times this year. So spotting must be in the genes. He and his son had come to visit us at Cape Scott a long 28km hike and they did it all in one day. So he is a good judge of her life being like ours.

Ahhh blue sky, so seeing that chopper looking good,, well I guess I should make a few morning calls. Yes we have a phone one of the very few lights that have that. Some have cell only and that can be expensive as the office loves to use the number if they have it. Well off to do my daily life here if anything interesting happens here today will let you all know... so later from the Bluff

Nice day

What a lovely morning!! There may be showers but we have very high winds, and lovely waters out front. The waves are whitecaping even in our sheltered channel. I am sure they must be about a 3 foot and out in the unprotected waters 4/5 feet. Above lovely blue sky in between the lager marshmallowie clouds with burned looking bottoms. Those are the ones that we call TCU's Towering Cumlis which are the ones that bring us the showers..

With this lovely wind where will be no bugs on station or around how lovely is that. This could mean that we have nice weather on the way usually when we get the winds like this it means that there was space for new weather and it filling up.

On days like this one could fly a kite and I am sure the kids here years ago did just that. Or used the ponds for sailing homemade boats in. One of these days I will try and get a photo of the old house. I know where there is one. Well of to enjoy the lovely day and the winds they are one of my favourite things out here in nature along with the water and salt smell. So much is given to other things in life but truly nature is really the best dare I say a better high than a good sale.(did I really say that!) well must be off to have my day so later from the Bluff.

Rain, Rain, go away come again another day

I had hoped that there would be something great happen the last few days. But really nothing much happening here just rain and fog. So with this sort of weather there is nothing really happening.

We are waiting to find out if we are leaving the Bluff and heading for a lighthouse down South. It would be alot closer to shopping, and being able to get off the light when I like to see our son and his family. Which is now growing. This also will allow them to come and visit us as well. With my brother living close as well they will all be able to come for a wknd visits.

There is also the nice of having a mail box, doing our own groceries as well and if need be the dogs into the vet, or us the for what ever medical is required.

So like most things we sit and wait and wait to hear if we will be packing up once again and move but this one will be the last one. Well with that said here was to be the last move. Oh well such is life on the lights off I go and see what I can do today rain and all so later from the Bluff

Here is what I found about fog and it being called pea soup

Well I did the search and have posted it.. I went for a walk on the workdeck the smell of the salt and seaweed is very strong and you know that you are by the ocean it is not often here you get that great smell. Well for me it is a great smell it so reminds me of my childhood and the trips to the ocean. Our parents used to take us every summer to the ocean. Have loved that smell since then. I remember smoking grass reeds with our uncle on the beach one summer. Not sure our parents where happy about it but oh well. The love of ocean and that smell comes to me honestly as my Father loves it as well. When we did not live near the ocean like we do now every time I went home they would take me for a drive to the oceanside. As they knew how much I missed that smell and the ocean. So in some ways living out here is well just the way it should be. Hard but some good with it. One must always try and see that their glass is half full not half empty. Well off from the Bluff

Pea soup fog

Pea Soup, or Pea Souper is an idiom for fog. Although it is sometimes used for any thick fog, it refers particularly to a yellowish smog caused by the burning of soft coal. Such fogs were prevalent in UK cities (particularly London) prior to passage of the Clean Air Act of 1956. An 1871 New York Times article refers to "London, particularly, where the population are periodically submerged in a fog of the consistency of pea soup..."

Contrary to popular impression, the Arthur Conan Doyle Sherlock Holmes stories contain only a handful of references to London fogs, and the phrase "pea-soup" is not used. A Study in Scarlet (1887) mentions that "a dun-coloured veil hung over the house-tops."

In the phrase "pea-soup fog," the implied comparison may have been to yellow pea soup: "...the yellow fog hung so thick and heavy in the streets of London that the lamps were lighted" (Frances Hodgson Burnett, A Little Princess, 1892); "The yellow fog that rubs its back upon the window-panes," (T. S. Eliot, The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, 1917; "London had been reeking in a green-yellow fog" (Winston Churchill, A Traveller in War-Time, 1918); "the brown fog of a winter dawn" (T. S. Eliot, The Waste Land (1922); "a faint yellow fog" (Stella Benson, This is the End). Inez Haynes Irwin writing in 1921 in The Californiacs praises what was then the superior quality of California fog, saying it is "Not distilled from pea soup like the London fogs; moist air-gauzes rather, pearl-touched and glimmering."

Just one of those mornings

Today reminds me of England and pea souper fog day. You can not see the water even it is so thick. I have often wondered where calling such a day a pea souper came from something one should and could look up on the internet. I do see a wee bit of bright way up there which means there is a chance of this all burning off.

We had a bit of rain last night good for the gardens for sure and now that a a few things are coming into bloom it will be time for me to feed them again. Some of them have just not bloomed just rotted from all the rain in the past. One can only hope that what we have left of summer will be good for all of us.

How hard it must have been way back with veggie gardens as I am sure they must have planted somehow here back then. It would have or most of it gone to rot in all the rain. I would think that what ever they planted would have been to assist their food supply for the summer as well as canning what they could for the winter. So to lose any of it to wet, heat or animals would have made life very hard. And I know it would have been a great hardship to start with. The children need fresh food and milk as they do today and how hard that would have been to keep the milk, there would have been alot of fishing and dried fish in the summer months to assist with the winter as well. Boy you really had to hope no one had allergies to fish.

I can not see a chopper flying today. I can only hope that the day I hope to get off of here it will be good. Well off to get my second cuppa so I will say later from the Bluff.

The dogs on station

Two dogs on the chopper pad.. Hope likes to help Billy bring the stick , and Billy has finally learned to hang out on the workdeck

later from the Bluff

Another one of those Mornings

When the fog hangs just inches over the water and winds it's way through the mountains surrounding us. The sky is not as blue as one would hope for a hot day but an nice day. As I look out my wee window at the water there is a shadow of mountains just like a mirror, the waters are so calm.

To have a day like this after two days of not great days it is nice. Now all we need is a light breeze to cool of and rid us of the bugs. There seems to be so many more no seeums and horseflies. No doubt it is from all the rain we have had over the yr and early spring. And bug spray does not really work up here as you sweat it off to fast.

But still it is great to wake up to one of those romantic mornings with the fog, the silence with the odd sound of the humming birds fighting over the feeder in the back or the few blooms that are out. Oh yes yesterday we saw our seal back I hope to get a photo one of these days soon of her/he. Well I have to start getting ready for my vacation I leave here Aug 8th off to see family and friends. I am hoping to keep posting on vacation as I hope to travel with it for the first time. So off I go to see about the house and a few things here.. so later from the Bluff

Down Loading

It is always interesting to see a vessel so close to the station and wonder if they are pulling in to say hi and then you realize that they are taking advantage of your free hot spot. They seem to love sailing by and have their computers on and suddenly find our free hot spot. So like this vessel will stay a long time no doubt receiving and sending email and maybe even chatting on msn.

We have had all sorts and sundry of vessels out the front of our place taking advantage of it. I can only imagine the surprise on faces as they see their Internet light come on. Truly must be thinking they have been on duty to long and seeing things. Like a mirage in the dessert but no it is real way out here we have installed a computer hot spot free for the boaters to us. It is time like us that they have access to the real world out here and not feel so left out and alone so days.

There has just been a large rain shower and the low cloud is finally rising a wee bit and getting a bit brigther as well. One can only hope that we will see the sun again. Three days is not longer enough to call summer here... oh well off to see about lunch here at the Bluff

Well we knew it would not last

As I sit here in the wee office we are foggy, damp and coolish. Yet there are these hints of blue almost breaking through the fog giving us hope that it will burn off. Last night we awoke to clap of thunder that the house shook. But this was bound to happen as the High that was holding all this off is breaking up. Let us hope that another High will come in soon.

The dogs and hubby are pleased to be home. Me too fresh lettuce, fruit and other fresh that we hardly ever get but once a month. So a quick trip to town for the dogs to see the vet paid off. It is always hard and fast when it is an overnight trip but we take what ever we can get in trips off to get fresh food.

Well not much else happening here we will see how the day goes with the fog and cool. So later from the Bluff

Can this really last?

My wee office has the two windows opened and the door. It is 6:50 am and the silence is only broken from the station engines. There is more cloud in the sky today but they are way up there like ones like horse tails, and then the long flat ones that look like very large frisbees. The wind is just enough to cause a wee ripple across the water.

As I look across the channel the last few days has even caused the waterfall to stop it's roar. Am hearing that this will last another day we hope that it will last alot longer. There is a odd sound as I turn and it is the USA ferry Columbia coming by the station very slowly what a great view. With the sun coming up over the mountain tops. We know it will be another warm day for sure.

Hubby and the dogs go off for the day yesterday and will return sometime this afternoon. Hope all had a good day in town. I understand our dogs are well trained and lovely from one of the keepers who when it at the same time as they did.

Well off to have a morning coffee on the deck, with the breeze and no direct heat and the silence it is great.. so later from the Bluff

Summer???

As I sit in my wee office this morning, with the two windows open there is a wee breeze. In fact I have opened all the windows in the house to catch the coolish morning breeze to help as we are going to have a hot one. Yesterday it was 28.5 and they say today will be the hottest day of the season so far.

Hubby leaves for town today for one night. He will take the dogs to the vet's and have fun eating town food. That is always a treat. Homecooking is nice but just like thing you can get sick of it so "junk" is alway a must when in town. As well it will give him a chance to get a few more fresh veggies and fruit. To bring home tomorrow is all goes well.. smile

There is not a cloud in the sky this morning so we know it will be very warm here as well today.. we wonder if this will be summer or at least the start of it. How wonderful it would be if our granddaugther,son and his wife come out she would love it out here in the boat, maybe learning to fish, and play with the dogs. Or even have my brother and his son come they hiked to Cape Scott 28 k's in one yr but no luck here to hike in. Well I guess I should be off to see that hubby has all he needs just incase they donot make it back tomorrow for some reason.. Later from the Bluff

Another nice day

I can tell from the quite morning and no fog haning on the mountains like floss candy that we will have a warm day. The sky is that deep shade of blue and the clouds what there are of them are high and whispy like a hores's tail. That we know is high winds. Not much of a wind down here that can happen on a warm/hot day.

The silence is very deafing out here this morning. Even the birds seem to know it could be a warm day. I will have try and make sure I have the water out for the dogs and sugar water for the hummingbirds. As I stand here on the balcony a seal lions pops her head out of the water.. they are a joy to watch.

One can see the joy of living on the lights on days like this, and I wonder how all those years ago one must have felt out here on great days. The romance is one that you can feel, I can almost hear the children playing around the houses on days like this from all those yrs ago. Their joy of seeing a passing ship, or small boat, catching fish off the rocks below the house. Even with all that one can see it was a harder life and a lonley one mail went out on what ever passing ship or boat would take it and food once a yr. And yet on a day like today I can feel the joy they must have had when theh good weahter came. Well later from the Bluff

Flowering Hen and Chicks

Sort of a nice day so far

One of our few nice days. This is our house here at the Bluff so as you can see we have our own built in stairmaster here. As well it lets you see that we are on the side of a mountain.

The weekend was nothing but terrible weather so there was no real reason to write. Can get depressing for you all as well as me.

The two days of sun has been great and a few of the hens and chicks are blooming now along with a few other things but a bit late for others as they are rotting on the plant with so much rain. Well later from the Bluff

Day 2

How lovely it is to awake to low fog on the mountains, sun and blue sky. Two days in a row lets hope it is here to stay for a few days. As I have noticed that the plants are rotting for so much rain and the buds are black. As a non gardener even I know tht is not a good sign for them.

Yesterday turned out even better than we hoped. Great breeze no bugs, and the sun dancing off the waters like diamonds. There are the days that you know you are in heaven and it is romantic to see it all and soak up the sun.

If things dry out a bit I can get down on the slopes and try and weed, and get rid of the dead head. I am sure that the Newts will love it as well.. I am sure even they can put up with that much rain. (smile) The local seals are loving it as well. it is like the whole island has come awake.

For the last two mornings I have stood on the balcony(oops workdeck) and listened to the birds and lapping water. You almost feel like there is no one else in world around this special place. Over the years on other lights are days like this as well each one has it's own special time and beauty. So more than others but on days like yesterday and today you really feel like you would never like to leave. It is really on the long days and weeks of rain and overcast that this place becomes one of wanting to go. Well off I go to get another coffee and enjoy the silence of the early morning later from the Bluff.

The first of many we hope?

Here is one of those lovely romantic mornings we can have here at the Bluff. Along with a cool breeze from the North. The sun is hinting that it could break through the clouds and warm up the day. How lovely that would be.

The chopper arrived yesterday along with fresh food, and our neighbours. So nice to get fresh, time to eat the fruit and veggies before they go bad. Our dogs are happy to see our neighbours dogs back as well. There was a bit of bark off this morning between two of them. We are very lucky that they get on so well.

Along with the food we got mail, and boxes of stuff we ordered as well. For me it ment B'day cards, and a gift from my Husband. A lovely surprise for sure.

With this day looking so good guess I should say bye for now from the Bluff

Grocery Day

Or so we hope. It is that time of the month we get our groceries, mail and boxes of goodies we have ordered. One can only hope that the weather will say well and the fog will lift from some places. There are some pilots who do not like to chance it and like to have the coast clear before they take off...

Today is also the day our neighbours come home. So I will no longer be working.It will give me a month to get ready to head out for my vacation in Aug/Sept but I will try and book on then as well and write a note or two.

Well a big day ahead of us if the chopper does make it so I should run..Ah one bit of interesting info I was heading down our stairs and thought I saw a raven on the chopper pad but on further inspection thought a young eagle. When on and did weather then the dogs and I headed to the pad and I noticed the bird on a tree top and realized that it was a hawk. Do not remember ever seeing on here before.. so like the newt, seal I will have to see if I can get a photo and hope that it was not just passing by yesterday. So may you all have a good or at least better weather than we are having here at the Bluff. If anyone is interested here is the link for our webcam here and our weather system http://www.bc-lighthouses.ca/boatbluff/

July 4th and still wet

Well here it is the Americans holiday and we are still wet,foggy and dreary. One could have hoped that the weather person was wrong just once(sigh). No chopper yesterday and there will not be one today either.

But tomorrow is Grocery day!!! This will mean a fresh bunch of veggies,fruit and other foodstuffs. As well the mail, parcels, and things that we have ordered. But of course as I have said in other notes weather and chopper dependent.

It will be nice to have our neighbours home as well and our two dogs will be happy to see their two. Great that all 4 get on. That does not always happen on a station and one this small makes it so much easier.

I still have not been able to get a photo of our seal but will see what I can do so sweet looking but it is a quick pop of the head and then down again. Having all this wildlife I love it!! Well off to get a cuppa and then see what can be done so later from the Bluff.

Happy wet day

There will be no fireworks here this yr just to wet. What can one say the weather man/person was right for a change. At night it seems to be ok everything comes to stop what a time to have it happen. Oh well such if the life on upper Northern coastal British Columbia.

The Southern half is sunny and warm. So we hope to move down there if all goes to plan .. well what does one plan. we can only hope that we will be get the position down near Victoria.

Lots of people heard off on their holidays now. We get to see the smaller boats and we had a new cruise line from Japan come by the other day so neat to see.

This morning we had dolphins.. ah weather time so shall let you from the Bluff

Great Day NOT!!!!

Well another day what day a week of rain. So this will mean wet grocery boxes, sugar that is like rock and flour like paste.

Big surprize yesterday got a call telling us that our water had something in it that might not be good. They have sent it out for more testing. So in went a good shot of bleach. That is what you have to do when you have ecoli in the water. Not that this happens often. But it can. Should know in a few days I guess it seems that the water coming from the taps is good. That in it self is good means that the filters that are in place are working. This is just one of things that you live with out here.

We can only hope that the sun will come out soon the poor gardens are so over grown and really need to be weeded along with moving a few plants. Seems that shake and bake (Mircale grow) works really well. Not only on the plants but the weeds.. oh well we will have the time to pull if and when the sun comes.

There could be a chopper tomorrow coming with a crew, as our neighbours are to get a new floor that will be great for them. And groceries and they will return on 5th of July with the groceries. Hope everyone has a good day from the Bluff

HAPPY CANADA DAY!!!!!

Today is our countries big day. Looks like we might even be graced with sun how lucky can we get! Maybe this is the start of things to come for the rest of the summer.

I have always thought I was such a lucky girl when I was small we would be at Cape Cod some years and because we where Canadian we would have fireworks on the beach then it was my special day (b'day) so there would be great fun, beach fires and the Semores(sp) those are graham crackers,roasted marshmallows, and a piece of chocolate all together. Those years we had our cousins with us so that meant 9 children what a sugar rush the parents must had to deal with. And then again on the 4th of July there would be all that fun again so for me it was like 4 days of never ending bbq's, candy and fireworks. Now I know it was not all for me oh well with aging comes may more things that we realize where not just for us.

It would look like a good day here for a firework day only we have none. Maybe we will get lucky and have a few whales go by to make the day. So for all you who celebrate today or the 4th of July or both have safe happy , and enjoy your families we all grow up to fast and lose those moments of wonderment in a small child's eyes. From the Bluff